


How the Mighty have Fallen

by thereisnowyou



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Ian Gallagher, Childhood Memories, Dysfunctional Family, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Issues, M/M, Memories, Mental Health Issues, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Character Death, Past Drug Use, Past Rape/Non-con, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:09:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29602968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thereisnowyou/pseuds/thereisnowyou
Summary: It's been eleven years and so much has changed for the Gallagher's. One day when they're remembering a loss that they'd all rather forget they realize just how much has changed and how much they have fallen from who they once were. Making all of the Gallagher siblings think about the choices they've made and how much they've ruined their own lives but how it got them to where they are now and they're forced to reflect on how they are all in many ways their parent's children and how that still affects their lives today.
Relationships: Debbie Gallagher/Sandy Milkovich, Fiona Gallagher/Jimmy Lishman, Ian Gallagher/Kash Karib, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Lip Gallagher/Karen Jackson, Lip Gallagher/Tami Tamietti
Kudos: 25





	1. What we were

Debs is class president, one the debate team, going to nationals

Lip’s top of his class, he set the curve

Ian just got promoted in ROTC and tested out of English

Carl made something blow up for his science fair

**

It had been eleven years since Fiona had screamed those words at Monica in Sheila’s living room, the kids all behind her crying. One of Monica’s many drop ins, this time when she was trying to take Liam. Now here they all were eleven years later, sitting at the kitchen table.

So much had changed, hell everything had changed but somethings remained the same. They were still Gallagher's, still family and loved each other like families did. It was messy and loud and at times painful, but it was all part of life. 

This particular day marked four years since Monica died and even though most of the kids spent most days pretending that she meant nothing to them, here they were sitting at the table, the five of them, with a box of old photos.

“Do you remember when Monica and her girl friend came and tried to take Liam?” Debs asked.

“What, Monica tried to take me?”

“Yeah,” Lip laughed, “Her and some fucking girl friend came in like the tornado Monica is, was, and demanded to take you. Even had a paternity test done trynna say you weren’t Frank’s.”

“Why didn’t anyone ever mention that?”

“You were barely one and it didn’t happen. We did find out the Ian isn’t frank’s though.”

“Wait what?”

“Yep, I’m the product of an ecstasy filled night between Monica and one of Frank’s brothers.”

Liam looked at his siblings, eyes wide.

“Hey, you remember standing in Sheila’s fucking living room while Fiona screamed at Monica all of our accomplishments and how great of a job she was doing raising us and how great we all were,” Lip laughed at the memory.

Ian looked sad thinking about everything he had lost in the last eleven years, “My how the mighty have fallen.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asked. He had lived through the last eleven years with them but for most of it they had protected him as much as possible from the shit storm that was their lives, he knew bits and pieces but the full picture of just how much they had managed to ruin their own lives over and over again was kept from him.

“Let’s just say that eleven years ago I didn’t think I was going to be a recovering alcoholic working at a bike shop.”

“And bipolar felon who went AWOL in the army was not really on my bingo card.”

“Teen mom and convict really wasn’t in the picture for me.”

“I mean I think we all thought I was gonna be in prison so the fact that I’m putting others in prison is kind of a shock in itself.”

All of his siblings hummed in agreement at that, some how Carl had come out on top and although proud everyone was a little confused still.

“Did everything really change that much in eleven years?”

“Oh buddy do we have some stories for you.”


	2. Past Loves

Lip plucked a photo of him and Karen together, that winter and following summer all felt like some crazy fever dream of fucking and loving. 

“This here is Karen Jackson, you probably remember her mom, Sheila. She fucked me and Frank and for a while I thought she was having my baby.”

“Yeah, then the baby came out Asian.”

Lip rolled his eyes at Ian, “Yeah then that happened.” Lip was quick to pluck out a photo of Ian, fourteen and working at the Kash and Grab.

“What about you, you remember the history behind this picture?”

Ian shot Lip a look, “Just me at work, nothing special.”

“Oh bullshit Ian, you were sleeping with your boss, who was like thirty-five and married.”

“I’ll have you know that when this photo was taken I had actually just started fucking Mickey thank you very much.”

Just then Mickey walked in the back door with Sandy, “What did I do?”

“Oh, we’re just talking about Mickey’s glory days of fucking Kash.”

“And I pointed out that by the time this was taken I’d already started fucking you.”

“Yeah, then that fucker shot me for it, the things I deal with for you Gallagher”

Ian rolled his eyes and Mickey kissed his head. Liam looked at his brothers more confused then before but he pulled another photo out of the box.

“Carl, why are you bald in this photo?”

“Oh, that’s just when Frank told me I had cancer so that he could get free stuff.”

Mickey and Sandy both looked at Carl, “And the Milkoviches are the ones who are fucked up?”

All of the Gallagher's looked over at the cousins and gave them a loud yes in unison.


End file.
